Heather Johnson, MD, MS, FAHA

Current occupation: Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Awarded the Certificate in Spring 2013

Research interests: The design, implementation, and analysis of healthcare system interventions to improve the delivery of cardiovascular preventive services to young adults.

Q&A

What was your research project for the Certificate?

Barriers to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension Among Young Adults

What did you learn in the program that you didn’t expect to learn?

This program provided outstanding training in theoretical frameworks for interventions and organizational change which are critical to develop long-term, sustainable interventions.

Name the top things learned that you will use in your research career.

I received advanced training in translational research design, mixed methods research, and establishing community partnerships.

How has the certificate advanced your professional goals?

The certificate provided critical skills in qualitative research which I have used in subsequent projects. The results of these studies have informed the development of hypertension quality improvement studies.

What other opportunities have you been provided as a result of the certificate program?

The certificate program fostered multi-disciplinary collaborations that have expanded my research program. In addition, the senior researchers in the Certificate Program have continued to be available for ongoing mentorship and support.

What advice would you give current and future Certificate students?

Research is challenging, but it is an exciting pathway to learn about what interests you, to meet outstanding people, and to make a difference on critical issues.

Selections from published works

Johnson HM, Thorpe CT, Bartels CM, Schumacher JR, Palta M, Pandhi N, Sheehy AM, Smith MA. Undiagnosed hypertension among young adults with regular primary care use. Journal of Hypertension. 2014;32(1):65-74. PMID: 24126711 PMCID: PMC3868024 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126711

Johnson HM, Thorpe CT, Bartels CM, Schumacher JR, Palta M, Pandhi N, Sheehy AM, Smith MA. Antihypertensive medication initiation among young adults with regular primary care use. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2014;29(5):723-731. PMID: 24493322 PMCID: PMC4000352 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24493322

Johnson HM, Olson AG, LaMantia JN, Kind AJH, Pandhi N, Mendonça EA, Craven M, Smith MA. Documented lifestyle education among young adults with incident hypertension. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2015;30:556-564. PMCID: PMC4395591

Ho AK, Thorpe CT, Pandhi N, Palta M, Smith MA, Johnson HM*. Association of anxiety and depression with hypertension control: a U.S. multi-disciplinary group practice observational study. Journal of Hypertension. 2015;33:2215-2222. PMCID: PMC4690617 *senior author

Johnson HM, Bartels CM, Thorpe CT, Schumacher JR, Pandhi N, Smith MA. Differential diagnosis and treatment rates between systolic and diastolic hypertension in young adults: a multi-disciplinary observational study. Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 2015;17:885-894.